UW Football | At OSU, Huskies can turn corner

Oregon State has long since stopped being a doormat of college football, having won as many bowl games in the new century as any other Pac-10 team, tied with USC with four each.

Still, there has been no more painful reminder of the fall of Washington football the last few years than its games against the Beavers.

A team UW lost to just twice from 1974 to 2003 has beaten the Huskies each of the past three years in Seattle by a combined 74-41. And the Beavers haven't just outscored the Huskies, they've outmanned them as well, pushing UW players all over Husky Stadium, holding them to 103 rushing yards on 64 carries the past two seasons.

Those are memories burned into the Huskies' minds as they prepare for a rematch with the Beavers at 7:15 tonight at Reser Stadium in Corvallis.

"The last couple of years, that's one team that has out-physicaled us," said UW center Juan Garcia. "So we've just got to go out there and be physical."

Last year, the game served as a turning point. A Huskies team riding a 4-2 start was dominated, then saw its season altered for good when Isaiah Stanback went out with a season-ending foot injury in the fourth quarter of a 27-17 loss. That defeat helped trigger a six-game losing streak that took the Huskies out of bowl contention.

This year's game — the first for UW in Corvallis since 2003 because of a quirk in the Pac-10 schedule — could also be a turning point, but in a more hopeful direction.

The Huskies snapped a six-game losing streak last week at Stanford, 27-9, and did so in dominating fashion, rushing for 388 yards, the most since 1996, and continuing a recent uptick in the running game.

"Everyone is more motivated now," said senior tackle Chad Macklin of what last week's win meant. "People's heads were down and morale was low."

Now, the Huskies are again thinking there is legitimate hope for a winning season and a bowl game. It's still a tall order — UW has to win its remaining four games to qualify. But if Washington wins tonight, that task starts to look a more doable with home games the next two weeks against back-to-earth California and Washington State before the season finale at Hawaii.

But to get past tonight, the Huskies will have to win the battle in the trenches. Washington's newfound ability to run will be greatly tested by an Oregon State team that leads the Pac-10 and is second in the nation in defending the rush, allowing just 59.6 yards per game.

"They bring a lot of blitzes, and their defensive linemen are really quick," Macklin said. "We've just got to go out there, and if we play like we've been playing, we will have a great chance of beating them. We just have to go out there and pound the ball the way we've been doing. Obviously they are a great team, though, so it will be a challenge."

The task may be even greater on the other side of the ball. With starting quarterback Sean Canfield sidelined because of injury and sophomore Lyle Moevao getting his first career start, the Beavers are likely to hand the ball to senior running back Yvenson Bernard (returning after missing last week with a shoulder injury) as often as possible.

"All signs point to, they are going to try to run the football," said UW defensive tackle Jordan Reffett. "It's going to be a big, physical game."

One the Huskies had better be ready for from the start.

The Beavers figure to be fired up. It is their last home game of the season — and the final home game for 23 seniors, including Bernard — in front of what could be the largest home crowd in Reser Stadium history. The stadium's capacity was bolstered to 45,674 this season.

And Oregon State has started quickly all season, outscoring opponents 92-9 in the first quarter and 172-33 in the first quarters of the past 18 games. In the first quarter this year, Oregon State has only allowed field goals by Arizona, Cincinnati and USC.

But as the Huskies prepared this week, they felt the momentum turning.

"The emotions around the locker room have been a lot better the last couple of days," said quarterback Jake Locker. "We still have a chance to make the season a really good one and have an opportunity to play after the regular season is over, and that's something a lot of guys are excited about."

Bob Condotta: 206-515-5699 or bcondotta@seattletimes.com